benro gear head: I wanted to replace my gimbel head and this gear head looked like a good choice. Purchased the head on ebay and the seller was in China. I can not get the plate that...

philo Loc: philo, ca

I wanted to replace my gimbel head and this gear head looked like a good choice.
Purchased the head on ebay and the seller was in China.
I can not get the plate that came with the head to reattach, and i called customer service. They said that their product has a 5 year warranty; however since the seller was in china the warranty does not apply.
The funny thing is that the product is made in China.

twosummers Loc: Melbourne Australia or Lincolnshire England

I have the same geared head - I purchased it from Hong Kong. I've had no trouble and use the product several times a week for real estate and architectural photography. I must say it's been a blessing. Attaching the camera with the plate fitted can be a bit tricky until you master the technique. What exactly is the issue? (Maybe I can help)

traderjohn Loc: New York City

philo wrote:

I wanted to replace my gimbel head and this gear head looked like a good choice.
Purchased the head on ebay and the seller was in China.
I can not get the plate that came with the head to reattach, and i called customer service. They said that their product has a 5 year warranty; however since the seller was in china the warranty does not apply.
The funny thing is that the product is made in China.

Yes. They don't get the mark up to support staff salaries.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

philo wrote:

I wanted to replace my gimbel head and this gear head looked like a good choice.
Purchased the head on ebay and the seller was in China.
I can not get the plate that came with the head to reattach, and i called customer service. They said that their product has a 5 year warranty; however since the seller was in china the warranty does not apply.
The funny thing is that the product is made in China.

Are you talking this one.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1410665-REG/benro_gd3wh_3_way_geared_head.html

Sharona Loc: Alpharetta, Georgia

If it is the one that Billnikon posted a link to, it is excellent. To attach camera with quick release plate attached to head, tilt camera back placing rear of qr plate in place, then pull out front knob of head while inserting front part of qr plate, turn knob and tighten. Check to affirm properly seated and tighten. I carry mine attached to tripod all day.

philo wrote:

I wanted to replace my gimbel head and this gear head looked like a good choice.
Purchased the head on ebay and the seller was in China.
I can not get the plate that came with the head to reattach, and i called customer service. They said that their product has a 5 year warranty; however since the seller was in china the warranty does not apply.
The funny thing is that the product is made in China.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

If it's a Benro like that one in the link, you also could remove one or both of the "safety stop" screws from the underside of the camera plate. Doing this would allow you to simply slide the camera off the head, after loosening the platform clamp. Of course, doing this means you have to be very careful not to forget to tighten it, leaving the mounting platform loose, and then let the camera slide out accidentally.

Fr8d Loc: Midwest U.S.

Sharona wrote:

If it is the one that Billnikon posted a link to, it is excellent. To attach camera with quick release plate attached to head, tilt camera back placing rear of qr plate in place, then pull out front knob of head while inserting front part of qr plate, turn knob and tighten. Check to affirm properly seated and tighten. I carry mine attached to tripod all day.

That's right! or just remove one of the safety screws on the bottom. It's slightly different, but you quickly learn to pull out the knob and tip it in or slide it in.

I've had one for two years and love it; wish I had made the change sooner. This geared head is so accurate and easy I'll never go back to adjusting a ball head .

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

I also have the Benro geared tripod head and I find it to be more than excellent, precise, lightweight and the quick release feature to move the camera freely is ever so nice.

The plate that attached to the camera locks into the gear head by turning the knob so that it bites into the plate and locks.

philo Loc: philo, ca

I tried to remove the bumper on the bottom of the plate and was afraid i was going to brake something. I find that getting the plate onto the head is really a waste of time.